Flat Panel Monitor Displays Message about No Signal, Signal out of Range, Sleep, or Power Save

Messages display on the monitor when the computer starts, shuts down, or enters suspend mode. Some messages that can display are:

Going to Sleep

No input signal

No signal detected

Signal Out of Range

Sync Out of Range

Cable disconnected

Check cable connection

Warning-PC entering power save mode

... or similar.

These messages are normal when the computer truly goes into sleep mode or loses the video signal (such as when the computer is turned off). However, if the monitor displays any of these messages when the computer should be displaying video, something is wrong.

If you suspect the monitor should be displaying an image from the PC instead of the message, use one of the following sections that match how the monitor behaves after the computer is powered on:

Wait until the hard drive activity light on the computer is not lit and then press and hold the Power button on the computer case until the computer turns off.

Wait 5 seconds and then turn on the computer by pressing the Power button again.

Click Start, then click Control Panel.

Double-click Power Options.

Select the Always on power scheme and set it to Never.

Click the Hibernate tab and remove the checkmark from Enable hibernate support.

Use the computer with the power settings turned off to see if the message continues.

If the message no longer opens and you are able to view Windows, the problem is related to suspend mode. Most likely the computer is unable to return from a suspended state. If you want to continue using suspend mode on the computer, you will need to troubleshoot the computer for suspend mode problems.

If the message still opens, the problem is related to software. Things to look for:

If the message opens after a software program is opened, such as when starting a game, the software is forcibly changing the display resolution to a mode that is not supported by the computer and monitor. Do not use the software or change its video settings.

If the message opens after certain period of time when the computer is not in use, the problem is most likely being caused by a screen saver. Turn off the screen saver to see that the problem no longer continues.

Startup screens display, but the message opens before the Windows desktop opens

After turning on the computer, a few initial startup screens or text can be seen as the computer starts. However, the Windows desktop never opens. Instead, a message about signal opens from the monitor.

When this happens, the display resolution used by Windows has probably been set to a resolution that cannot be used by the monitor. Use the following steps to see if the monitor can display screens from safe mode:

Cycle the power on the monitor as follows:

Turn off the monitor. The power light on the monitor should be off. Leave the computer turned on.

Unplug the power cord.

Wait 5 seconds.

Plug in the power cord.

Press the power button on the monitor to turn on the monitor.

One of two things happens:

The image from the computer displays on the monitor and you can use the computer again. This indicates that the monitor was unable to detect that the computer had awakened from suspend mode. Turn the monitor off when it is not being used or disable suspend mode on the computer. For some computers, updating the BIOS can correct these types of suspend problems.

OR

The power light on the monitor comes on but the screen displays one of the messages again. The monitor is not receiving a video signal from the computer that it can detect and use. Continue using these steps.

If the computer is on, wait until the hard drive activity light on the computer is not lit and then press and hold the Power button on the computer case until the computer turns off.

If the monitor has a factory reset or restore option, set it. Press the Menu button on the front panel and select Factory Reset.

Wait 5 seconds and then turn on the computer by pressing the Power button again.

Adjust the Windows display resolution to a setting that is compatible with the monitor.

NOTE: The best possible resolution quality for your monitor is the native resolution. The native resolution setting for your model of monitor can be found in the Monitor User Guide, the monitor's product packaging, and product specifications.

Restart the computer and press F8 repeatedly after the first logo screen.

Windows should open showing a Windows desktop in a resolution of 640 x 480. Icons and windows appear much larger on the screen. You will need to use the Windows scroll bars to access the lower buttons in some windows.

In Windows XP, click Start, Settings, Control Panel and then double-click the Display icon and select the Settings tab.

Move the slider bar until a compatible resolution for the monitor is set, click OK.

NOTE: You should notice a change in resolution after selecting OK - the icons and windows should appear smaller in size. If not, adjust the display resolution again.

Restart the computer.

If the native resolution is not available from the slider bar, click Advanced Settings, click List All Modes (from the Adapter tab), select the resolution, and click OK.

Restart the computer and note what happens.

If Windows does not open and the message appears on the monitor, Windows is not loading or the monitor is not capable of displaying the basic display mode sent by Windows. Connect the monitor to another computer, such as laptop. Doing so will help you determine whether the monitor is bad or if the computer you are trying connect is having a startup problem. If the monitor cannot accept standard video signals from multiple computers, the monitor should be replaced or repaired.

If Windows desktop opens in safe mode, the issue is related to the display resolution being used in normal operation (not safe mode). You should set the normal display resolution on the computer to the native display resolution of the monitor. To do this, you might need to reinstall the video drivers for your computer or temporarily connect another monitor.

If the native resolution setting is not available as a selection in Windows, you can temporarily use 1024 x 768 to complete these steps. However, you should update the graphics driver on the computer. Updating the graphics driver can provide more display resolutions to Windows; possibly including the native display resolution for the monitor.

The message is the only item that displays on the screen

After turning on the computer, the only thing appearing on the monitor is a message about no signal or sleep. Startup screens and Windows screens are not shown.

When this happens, the monitor is not detecting an valid video signal from the computer. Perform the following steps until a picture is displayed on the monitor:

Make sure the computer or device that is connected to the monitor is using the correct video output source.

If you are trying to view video from a set-top box, DVD player or similar device, use its menu system to set the proper video output channel so that it matches the video connection are using. For example, if the monitor is connected to a satellite receiver via a second HDMI connection on the back of the receiver, select HDMI-2 (or similar) using the remote control for the receiver.

If the monitor has an input or source button, press it.

On some monitors, the video input or source selection can be found in the onscreen menu system. If so, press the Menu button on the monitor and use the front panel buttons to select Switch Video Input.

Connect the monitor to another computer and turn the computer on. See what happens:

If the monitor correctly displays an image from another computer, the monitor works and the video on the original computer is incompatible, faulty, or sending too weak of a video signal. Make sure the computer is truly sending a display resolution that is compatible with a monitor and not set to display video for a TV. If necessary, service the computer to fix the video hardware or video drivers on the computer. If you have an HP or Compaq computer, see the
Contact HP
page to find service.

If the monitor remains blank when it is connected to another computer, the monitor might be damaged and should be repaired or replaced. See the
Contact HP
page to find service.

Turning off sleep or hibernate mode

To bring the computer out of sleep mode, use the following steps:

NOTE:If you cannot wake the monitor, you may need to connect the computer to a different monitor to perform these steps. After performing these steps, reconnect the computer to the original monitor.

Move the mouse or press the Spacebar.

If the computer does not wake, press the keyboard Suspend button. You may need to press the Suspend button on the keyboard twice (the suspend button has an icon that looks like a quarter moon).

If the computer still does not wake, press the Power button on the computer case for one second and release.

If the monitor does not wake, restart the computer and turn off suspend mode:

NOTE:Turning off sleep mode does not solve the problem, but it will help you determine if the problem is related to sleep mode or something else.

Windows 7

Wait until the hard drive activity light on the computer is not lit and then press and hold the Power button on the computer case until the computer turns off.

Wait 5 seconds and then turn on the computer by pressing the power button again.

Click Start , Control Panel, System and Security, and then click Power Options.

Click Change plan settings for the currently selected plan.

Change the settings to Never.

Click Save changes to accept the changes, and then restart the computer.